Just when you thought 18th Avenue NE was open again, you find the intersection at Monroe Street blocked. Although surface paving for 18th Avenue has been suspended for the winter, there’s new work below ground.
A 2016 inventory and assessment of the city’s stormwater drainage system called for repair or complete rehabilitation of a number of the system’s 25 stormwater pump stations, including Monroe Street. General contractor Lametti & Sons expects to complete the main phase of repair within the next two weeks, and will return in the spring for some additional work, including pouring concrete at the excavation point. Lametti Project Manager Dave Lovas said it’s customary practice to do such operations in the winter, when there’s less likelihood of rising water levels below street grade. He said that the pump station, about the size of a small bedroom, is having its pumps removed and rebuilt, the piping inside replaced, and the control panel upgraded.
Subcontractor Northern Dewatering has set up several large bypass lines to divert any water that might result from sudden thaw away from the station while work is in progress.
Below: Diesel-powered water pumps (with blue insulating panels to reduce engine noise). (Photo by Mark Peterson)